Valieva challenges WADA's evidence handling in doping case

In late 2023, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping case returned to the Swiss Supreme Court. Her legal team is claiming that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) failed to disclose and potentially altered crucial evidence related to her contamination defense during the initial hearings. The critical evidence involved a secret experiment conducted by scientist Martial Saugy, which suggested Valieva may have ingested the prohibited substance, Trimetazidine, accidentally through a smoothie made by her grandfather. This evidence was absent during the five-day hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, raising concerns about procedural integrity and transparency in the doping investigation. WADA has insisted that the report in question was not their document and that it did not significantly affect the case outcome because the Court found insufficient factual evidence to support Valieva's contamination theory, which she raised during the hearings. This scenario has highlighted inconsistencies in WADA's treatment of doping cases across different countries, particularly as similar allegations of contamination from other athletes, such as Chinese swimmers, were accepted without penalties. The ongoing litigation could have broad implications for how doping cases are handled in the athletic community, especially concerning the treatment of evidence and the responsibilities of international sport governing bodies.